![\"Van](\"https:\/\/www.thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Veterans-ID-Card-program-8-2014.jpg\")
<\/a>The ID card program, which is currently available in a number of counties in Ohio, came about as a result of seminars on providing services to area veterans that Johns and his board members attended. The partnership between the Veterans Service and Recorder\u2019s offices is a natural one, both Hughes and Johns say, since the former agency provides services for veterans and the Recorder\u2019s Office keeps copies of veterans\u2019 discharge documents, including DD214 forms veterans need to receive a number of Veterans Administration benefits.<\/p>\n
In addition to being another form of photo identification, Johns said the ID card program can also be a source of pride for veterans and a way to easily show they were in the military.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of veterans don\u2019t have any type of (military) ID card,\u201d Johns said, adding that toting around a DD214 is not very practical.<\/p>\n
As part of the process, Johns reviews a veteran\u2019s DD214 to see if they qualify for any VA benefits, while veterans who haven\u2019t filed their DD214s with the Recorder\u2019s Office need to do so before receiving a veteran\u2019s ID card.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just to their advantage that they record their DD214s for safekeeping,\u201d Hughes said, noting that the document is an important first step in receiving just about any veterans\u2019 benefit.<\/p>\n
Johns adds that receiving a DD214 review is also a positive, since veterans are often unaware of benefits they are entitled to through the VA.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn looking at their DD214, we can see whether they\u2019re Vietnam vets, whether they\u2019re disabled or whether they have a Purple Heart, for example,\u201d the Veterans Service officer said, adding that Vietnam veterans, disabled vets and those with Purple Heart medals are likely eligible for VA benefits.<\/p>\n
Since an initial story on the ID card a month ago, Hughes and Johns said a number of veterans, many of them older vets, have called to set up an appointment or come in to file their DD214s with the Recorder\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Although the military recommends that veterans file their DD214s after they are discharged, Hughes said she\u2019s now seeing older veterans \u2013 even World War II veterans \u2013 who have never filed their discharge papers come in to do so.<\/p>\n
In addition to having their DD214s on file, there is also an added benefit to having a county military ID card. A number of local businesses have agreed to provide discounts to veterans who show their new county ID card.<\/p>\n
Businesses currently enrolled in the program include Angela\u2019s Grooming and Doggie Spa, Becky\u2019s Village Restaurant in Willshire, Black Angus Catering, Black Swamp Bistro, Crescent Laundry, Dilly Door, Greve Chrysler, Hall\u2019s Custom Cut Meats, Hickory Sticks Golf Club, Jackie\u2019s Furry Friends Pet Grooming, Dr. Kevin Laing DDS, Lee Kinstle GM Sales & Service, Lee\u2019s Ace Hardware, Lloyd\u2019s Auto Service, Mi Ranchito restaurant, Dr. Roger Okuley DDS, Olympic Lanes, Once I Was, O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts, P&R Medical Connection, Peebles, Quick Change Oil & Lube, Secret Garden in Convoy, Rainey Chiropractic, Remedy Sports Bar & Grille, Scott Variety Store, Simply Irresistible, Sophisti-Cut Styling Salon, The Tavern in Convoy, Van Wert Massotherapy, Van Wert Memorials, Wilkinson\u2019s Printing and Willshire Home Furnishings.<\/p>\n
Discounts range from stated dollar amounts to from 5-15 percent off services or merchandise.<\/p>\n
The process to receive the ID card is simple. Veterans need to call the Veterans Service Office at 419.238.9592 to set up an appointment to see Johns. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.<\/p>\n
Appointments are currently being set up for Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DAVE MOSIER\/independent editor Last week was the beginning of a new Van Wert County veterans\u2019 ID card program. The new program is the result of a partnership between County Veterans Service Officer Barry Johns and County Recorder Kim Hughes. The ID card program, which is currently available in a number of counties in Ohio, came […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-03 22:14:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}